THE removal of the firewood permit system has allowed wood-selling merchants free rein to illegally clear out Bendigo forests, local residents say.
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Since the autumn firewood collection season began last month, local wood gatherers say forests have already been stripped bare, with nothing left to salvage.
The state government previously issued permits for firewood collection at a cost of up to $300.
Last September it announced that it was scrapping the permit system, in a bid to allow
local residents to collect free wood.
But Axedale resident Jeff Wallis said the new system had become “a disaster”.
Mr Wallis said he went to collect firewood from the Axedale State Forest yesterday but found there wasn’t one tree in the designated collection area that hadn’t been clipped.
“We were left scrounging,” he said.
“The only timber available was what could be sawn out of the treetops.”
Mr Wallis said in previous weeks the area had been raided by merchants who had been sawing down trees in collection areas.
“There’s been convoys of flatbed trucks with cranes, and several people with chainsaws, frantically cutting up and removing tonnes of fallen timber.”
The Department of Sustainability and Environment and Parks Victoria said it was illegal for merchants to collect firewood from designated collection areas.
DSE’s Paul Bates said collection from designated areas was for personal use only.
He said the DSE conducted routine patrols of state forests and parks to ensure people complied with the rules and regulations, and would crack down on illegal pillaging.
“We encourage people to do the right thing to ensure firewood is available for everyone,’’ he said.
“For those that don’t comply with the law, heavy penalties apply.’’
Mr Wallis said the government needed to revert to the permit system.
“The merchants have made an absolute killing: free firewood by the truckload, to be sold at high prices to city customers. There’s no way locals can get any legal firewood now.”
Firewood collection for personal use is allowed during two statewide firewood seasons: an autumn season (March 1 to June 30) and a spring season (September 1 to November 30).